Finding Hakuryu
by lechymonk
Summary: Just how did Hakkai find Hakuryu? A notsoteenytinystory! All of the guys are here but there are no pairings in this story.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Saiyuki or any of the guys. That honor belongs to Kazuya Minekura.

This was written for the anonymous Saiyuki Gen meme.

Hakkai was standing at the sink, washing up the last of the dinner dishes, when Gojyo came flying into their little house that they shared. Gojyo threw open the door and just stood there, glaring at Hakkai, his face flushed in anger and his deep red eyes, wild. Breathing heavy for a few seconds, trying to compose himself and not slam the door and start yelling at Hakkai, Gojyo stood in the open doorway, the cool night breeze slithering through the starless night.

Hakkai took in the sight of Gojyo, his chest heaving, knuckles white as his large hands gripped the door knob. Gojyo was more than a little upset. He was downright furious. Wondering just what happened on Gojyo's errand, Hakkai opened his mouth to speak, when Gojyo spoke first.

"Don't. Don't say a fucking word!"

Gojyo slammed the door and crossed the small kitchen. Pulling out a chair, Gojyo sat down and dug his smokes out of his brown leather jacket. Shoving a finger in the open pack, Gojyo tried to dig out a cigarette. He shook the pack and finally, a slightly bent cigarette tumbled out. Mumbling under his breath, Gojyo straightened it out and flicked the lighter.

Gojyo clicked the lighter again…and again…and again. Hakkai dried his hands on a dish towel, hung it up neatly and opened the drawer that Gojyo had nicknamed, "the junk drawer" because it had all sorts of junk in it. Once in a while, Hakkai would stumble across a lighter of Gojyo's and throw it in the junk drawer so it wouldn't get lost. Today, the green eyed man had no such luck.

Curse words were coming fast and furious from Gojyo's mouth. A 'fuck' here, a 'shit' there and of course, Gojyo's favorite word, 'asshole'. Gojyo crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down, the hand with the unlit cigarette in it, laying over his silky red hair. Hakkai went into Gojyo's room and searched through the redhead's dirty jeans.

"Aha!" A clicking noise could be heard from Gojyo's room and Hakkai came out into the kitchen, carrying a yellow lighter, flame at full volume and Gojyo already wrapping his full lips around the cigarette, sucking in deeply as the end caught fire.

Tossing the lighter towards Gojyo, Hakkai sat down at the table. He was a patient man and when Gojyo felt like talking, he would spill his guts. The kettle whistled and Hakkai got up and poured hot water over the tea bag. Taking the cup to the table, Hakkai sat down again and waited for his tea to seep. Gojyo took huge drags off of the cigarette, a sure sign that he was more than just a little pissed off.

"So, how did the meeting with Sanzo go?"

"Fucking brilliant! That…that piss poor excuse for a monk only summoned us there because he had another "mission" he wanted us to go on!" Smoke hung like a halo around Gojyo's head. "I hate him. Did you know that?"

Hakkai nodded. When Gojyo got like this because of Sanzo, there really wasn't anyway to talk to him. One just had to let Gojyo yell and curse at the blonde monk, who was currently their only real means of bringing in money. Sure, Gojyo was lucky at cards but Hakkai couldn't always count on Gojyo's gambling winnings to make ends meet. They lived in a small town, so when Gojyo was on a hot streak, word traveled fast and the marks stayed away.

"He didn't even have the decency to look up at me when he spoke to me!" Another drag on the cigarette, another exhale of smoke circling the ceiling. "You know what they should teach at that fucking monastery?" Holding the burning cigarette between his first two fingers, Gojyo pointed those same two fingers at Hakkai. "Manners! Those fucking monks need some fucking manners!"

Wryly smiling at Gojyo, Hakkai could just imagine how well the meeting went. "Calm down, Gojyo." Gojyo peered at his best friend through a smoke filled haze. "What exactly did Sanzo want us to go and retrieve?"

Gojyo dug around in his pocket, cigarette dangling from his lips. "Here." Flicking a folded up piece of paper at Hakkai, Gojyo sneered. "He wrote it down. Apparently, I'm too stupid to be trusted with directions."

Both men were silent while Hakkai read the note. Hakkai had to smile over the tone of the note.

_Hakkai,_

_Two towns over, in a little village called, Sarichi, there is a monastery. The monks have possession of a vehicle. Bring it to me._

_Sanzo_

Hakkai turned the paper over. It was blank. Three sentences? That was it? Hakkai sighed. It seemed Gojyo had pissed off Sanzo more than usual. Looking behind him, at the clock, Hakkai noted the time. Eight o'clock. Plenty of time to get packed. Pushing his chair away from the table, Hakkai went into his bedroom.

"Gojyo?" Hakkai's muffled voice reached Gojyo, who was still sitting at the kitchen table.

Gojyo went into Hakkai's bedroom. There was Hakkai, digging around on the shelf in his closet. A large satchel landed with a thump at his feet and he pushed back the long bangs from his eyes.

"Oh, there you are. If you would, please get out your satchel, two changes of clothes, enough underwear for…umm, let me think…five, yes, five days, and socks for the same amount of time." Hakkai disappeared back into the closet. "I think we can share shampoo and soap for that amount of time." Popping his head out, Hakkai smiled at Gojyo. "Although, it goes without saying that we each need our own shaving necessities."

Opening his mouth to ask why, Gojyo quickly shut it again. It was no use asking Hakkai why they were running to do Sanzo's bidding. Knowing Hakkai, he would just talk in circles around Gojyo until he was annoyed and confused. Then, Gojyo would stomp out of the room, head to the bar, drink, bitch about Hakkai and how he talked and talked until Gojyo couldn't take it no more and agreed to do what he wanted. When the bar closed, Gojyo would come back home and get packed. After all of that, he would fall asleep, fully dressed, waiting for Hakkai to wake him up at the crack of dawn so they could get moving. Gojyo sighed. Might as well just skip all of that bullshit and just pack now.

The walk was nice, the weather was nice and the company was even nicer. Gojyo and Hakkai took their time, walking through woods filled with trees just beginning to bud, new baby animals peeking out from under or around their mothers and wildflowers everywhere. They made small talk about Goku, Hakkai being careful not to bring up Sanzo's name…Gojyo was still angry at the monk. Hakkai was teaching the young man his letters and numbers and he had several very funny stories to relate to Gojyo. They stayed overnight in an inn that was about the halfway point and the next day, a little after lunch they finally got to the monastery in the little town.

It was a small monastery, maybe only 30 monks lived here. Hakkai knocked on the front door and soon, he and Gojyo were let into a small room, where the head monk was waiting for them. Gojyo and Hakkai bowed at the wizened old monk and Hakkai told him they were sent by Priest Sanzo to retrieve an object that was causing them some grief.

"Oh, that heap of metal out back! It's causing a great stir among us and we wish to get rid of it as soon as possible." The little man, with bushy eyebrows that met in the middle, wrung his hands as he spoke.

"What exactly is the problem?" Hakkai asked the question. Last night, Gojyo told Hakkai it would probably be better if Hakkai did all the talking. He was the more refined of the two and sometimes, without meaning to, Gojyo tended to rub people the wrong way.

"Can you tell me what we are dealing with here?" Hakkai plastered a serene smile on his face.

Leaning forward, the monk spoke in a soft voice, as if he was afraid the machine in their possession might overhear him. "It beeps."

Gojyo couldn't help himself. "It beeps?" What the fuck? Of course, it beeps! It's a damn vehicle, although Sanzo didn't tell them what kind of vehicle it was.

Nodding his head, the monk went on. "And not only does it beep, it sneezes. Or if the weather is particularly bad, it coughs!" Ignoring the looks of disbelief on the two men's faces, the monk was just warming up. "The headlights come on by themselves, in the dark! As if it's afraid of being left alone!" Laying his hands on his desk, palms up, the monk pleaded with the two of them. "You have to take this cursed vehicle and bring it to Priest Sanzo! Only a monk as holy as he, " the head monk glared at Gojyo, who had tried to turn his snort of laughter into a cough but didn't quite make it. "As I was saying, only a monk as holy as Priest Sanzo can drive the demons from this cursed vehicle!"

"If you would just take us to the vehicle…" Hakkai trailed off as the old monk vehemently shook his head. Knees creaking, the old monk got up from behind his desk, motioning for Gojyo and Hakkai to follow him. Shuffling along, the monk soon came to a plain door which led outside. Opening the door, the monk pointed to a greenish-brown heap of metal, about 50 yards away.

"There it is. I don't care how you do it, but you must have it out of here by sunset."

Hakkai went out the door first, followed by Gojyo. The sound of the backdoor slamming made them both turn around and before Gojyo could get his hand on the doorknob and turn the handle, a loud click sounded in the still afternoon.

Jiggling on the knob, Gojyo pounded on the door with his other hand. "Oi! Unlock the door, you old fart!" He pounded harder and kicked the door, but it was a heavy door and it held solid. "Now what? Hakkai?"

Hakkai approached the vehicle. It was a Jeep, an old one with some rust on it but otherwise, it was in good shape. Circling it, Hakkai ran his hands over the metal, pressing here and there. No holes, that was a plus. The seats needed sewn in places but he could handle that. No cracks in the windshield, the floor looked solid and there was a lot of room in between the front and back seats. All in all, it was a nice vehicle. A new paint job, maybe some new fabric to cover the seats. In his mind, Hakkai could see what the Jeep could look like and he smiled.

Lighting up a cigarette, Gojyo sauntered over to the Jeep. He looked at Hakkai, noting the gleam in the other man's eyes and he sighed. They would be dragging this hunk of junk back to Sanzo, after all. But, how? It wasn't like they could call someone to come pick it up. Cars were extremely rare. In fact, this was the first one Gojyo could ever recall seeing.

"Got any bright ideas, Hakkai?" Gojyo kicked a tire.

_Kyuuu! _

Surprised, Gojyo stumbled backwards, landing hard on his ass. "Hakkai! That old fart was telling the truth! This thing does make noise!" With a shaking hand, Gojyo picked up his cigarette that he'd dropped. He was so shocked that he stuck the dirty cigarette into his mouth, spitting out dirt when he'd realized what he had done.

"Please, Gojyo. Don't kick him." Hakkai ran his hand lovingly over the hood of the Jeep, earning another 'kyuuu'. But this kyuuu was softer, more pleasant than the one it let out when Gojyo kicked it. Did he hear Hakkai right? Calling the Jeep, him?

Digging around under the floor mat, Hakkai came up with a key. "Aha. That's what I was looking for." Climbing in the Jeep, Hakkai ran his hands over the steering column, looking for the keyhole. Finding it, Hakkai put one foot on the brake and one on the clutch and put the key in. Wiggling the stick shift, he made sure he was in neutral. Gojyo watched Hakkai with ever widening eyes, wondering just where the hell Hakkai learned to drive.

At first, the Jeep coughed and sputtered. Really coughed. It almost sounded like a child with a cold and Gojyo pinched himself. This had to be a dream, right? He kept telling himself that it was a dream but as he watched Hakkai, that theory didn't hold up very long. How could he be dreaming this? He didn't know the first thing about cars and Hakkai really looked like he knew what he was doing.

Climbing out of the Jeep, Hakkai lifted the hood. "Oh, you poor thing." Clicking his tongue, Hakkai pulled out handfuls of weeds from the engine. "Just how long have they left you alone?" Headlights blinked several times. "Days?" The horn beeped once. "Weeks?" The horn beeped once again. "Months?" The Jeep went crazy, beeping and blinking it's lights. "They left you out here for seven months? All alone?" A sad 'kyuuu' sound. "Well, you're not alone anymore. You have me and Gojyo."

Now he was convinced that he was dreaming. Hakkai was talking to the Jeep and the damn thing was answering him! Burning heat bit at his fingers and Gojyo stubbed out the cigarette that he had forgotten he'd had in his hand.

Back in the Jeep, Hakkai turned the key and it started. Black smoke from the tail pipe sputtered out and the Jeep died again. Once more, Hakkai started the Jeep and this time, it was running. Smiling and patting the dash, Hakkai spoke softly to the Jeep. Pushing the clutch in, Hakkai shifted to first gear and gently pushed down on the gas, making the Jeep buck and shudder but they traveled about 10 feet before the Jeep stalled.

Hakkai laughed, his laughter ringing out in the afternoon. Unconsciously, Gojyo started to laugh, too. It had been a long time since he'd heard Hakkai laugh that freely and it was a nice sound. Soon, they were both laughing and the Jeep kyuuu'd with them, as if he was laughing, also. Starting the Jeep up again, Hakkai pushed down harder on the gas and before Gojyo knew it, Hakkai was driving around in circles, as if he'd been driving for years. One last circle and Hakkai stopped the Jeep next to Gojyo.

"Ready to go home, Gojyo?" Dusting himself off, Gojyo tossed their satchels in the back and climbed in. They rounded the front of the monastery and Hakkai waved at the monks who were peeking out at them. Gojyo wasn't so nice…he flipped them off.

As Hakkai drove them through the woods, a thought occurred to Gojyo. "Hey, Hakkai?" The green eyed man made a noise, letting Gojyo know he heard him but never taking his eyes off the road. "Just where the hell did you learn to drive?"

"Correspondence course." Hakkai downshifted as the wide path got rougher. "As a teacher, I needed to keep myself as up to date with the subjects I taught, so I always took correspondence courses on math, reading, and other subjects." Turning on the headlights, Hakkai continued. "However, some of the most interesting courses I took had nothing to do with any subject I taught. I took a course on picking locks, but I highly doubt I will ever have a use for that one!"

After driving for an hour or so, the path narrowed and it was clear that the Jeep wouldn't fit through. Hakkai stopped and turned off the engine. "I suppose, we'll have to backtrack."

The Jeep kyuuu'd. A bright light surrounded them and like a bat out of hell, both men leapt from the Jeep. When the light went out, there, in between them was a white dragon. Stunned green eyes met wide red eyes and both of them sat there, jaws open. Waddling over to Hakkai, the dragon stood in front of him, wings spread wide, neck extended to the sky. Lowering his head, the dragon met Hakkai's eyes. Bright red eyes stared back at him and Hakkai could swear the little creature was smiling at him.

"Holy shit."

"Oh my."

Gojyo reached into his pocket, pulled out his cigarettes and with trembling hands, tried to light it. His hands were shaking so badly, he couldn't get the lighter to work. The dragon left Hakkai and waddled over to Gojyo. A thin flame burst from the dragon. Understanding what the creature was doing, Gojyo leaned down and lit his cigarette.

"Thanks." Here he was, on the floor of a forest, and a dragon had just lit his cigarette. No one was going to believe this!

"Wait until Sanzo sees this!"

Whipping his head, Hakkai glared at Gojyo. "Sanzo is not going to see this!" The little dragon wandered back to Hakkai and he snatched him up, holding him close to his chest. "If you think I'm turning this wonderful being over to Sanzo, you're sorely mistaken, Gojyo." Smoothing the ruffled feathers on the dragon's neck, Hakkai talked in a low, soothing voice. "It's alright. You have nothing to fear. You may stay with Gojyo and myself for as long as you like." Emerald eyes bored into Gojyo's eyes. "Right, Gojyo?" Gojyo nodded. Hakkai was fucking scary when he got like this.

With the dragon on Hakkai's shoulder and each man carrying their own satchel, they started walking and soon came to the inn they had stayed at the night before. After consulting the dragon, Hakkai informed Gojyo they would be stopping to eat and then they would be on their way again. The three of them ate and soon, with the dragon in the form of a Jeep, they were on their way again. By nightfall, they were home.

Hakkai got the little dragon settled and came out of his bedroom to talk to Gojyo.

"Tomorrow, I'll go and collect our money from Sanzo." Hakkai set the kettle on the stove, turned on the flame and waited for the water to get hot.

"You're nuts if you think Sanzo's gonna pay us if you show up, no vehicle and a dragon on your shoulder."

Hakkai just shrugged. "He needs a name."

"Who? The dragon?" Hakkai nodded. The kettle whistled and soon, two cups of steaming tea were on the table. Both sat in silence, sipping their tea. "Well, since he's taken a liking to you, I think you should have part of your name in there, someplace." Gojyo thought for a few minutes. "What about Hakuryu?" He munched on a cookie. "It's got a bit of your name in it and that sound he makes. It's like taking both sounds and smashing them together."

"Hakuryu." Hakkai tried out the name. Yes, it fit the little red eyed dragon. Hakuryu. "I like it." Hakkai ate a cookie. "Tomorrow, I'll introduce Hakuryu to Sanzo."

Bright and early the next morning, Hakkai and Hakuryu set out for the monastery where Sanzo and Goku lived. Knocking on Sanzo's door and hearing a sullen, "come in," Hakkai entered the office. As usual, Sanzo was sitting behind a vast desk and Goku was on the floor next to him, coloring a picture that looked suspiciously like the sun.

"Good Morning, Sanzo."

Sanzo grunted in answer. "Did you bring it back?"

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but there was no vehicle there, after all."

Tossing down his pen, Sanzo huffed in anger. "I knew it! Those old farts probably just wanted a visit from a Sanzo priest and this is the story they made up to get me there." Sanzo was just about to pick up another pen when a gasp from the floor stopped him.

"Hakkai! When did you get a dragon?" Goku jumped up from the floor, his drawing forgotten at the sight of the little white dragon. With a tentative touch, Goku began to pet the dragon.

"Oh, him?" Hakkai extended his arm, letting Hakuryu walk to the end and lowering his arm so Goku could pet him. "Gojyo and I found him in the woods. He was all alone and looked hungry, so we brought him back with us."

There was something that Sanzo couldn't quite put his finger on. Did Hakkai really think he'd buy this bullshit story about finding a dragon in the middle of the woods? Narrowing his eyes, Sanzo stared at Hakkai but the demon slayer, just sat there, a serene smile on his face. Damnit! Hakkai was hiding something but from past experience, Sanzo knew Hakkai would just sit there, with that fucking smile on his face.

"Since there was no vehicle, I'm not paying you."

Before all of the words were out of Sanzo's mouth, a itemized receipt was in front of him. One night's lodging, four lunches, two breakfasts, two dinners, plus expenses. This was too much! Staring at each other, Sanzo with a glare hot enough to start a fire and Hakkai, that same serene smile on his face. Tension filled the room. Neither man looked away. Goku cleared his throat, the tension making him really nervous. Finally…Sanzo cracked.

"Che." Writing out the check, Sanzo shoved it across the desk and without breaking his smile, Hakkai folded it, storing it in his wallet.

"Thank you, Sanzo." With a wave of his hand, Sanzo dismissed Hakkai. "Goku, would you like to come by for lunch? You can get to know Hakuryu better and we can do some more reading," Hugging Hakuryu to him, Goku nodded, his hair flopping over his face. Hakuryu let out a strangled kyuuu, for Goku was hugging so tightly, he pushed the breath right out of the white dragon.

"It's settled. Goku, we'll see you in about three hours for lunch. Sanzo, you're more than welcome to come with Goku." Hakkai laughed at the rude gesture Sanzo made.

Halfway home, Hakkai stopped and looked at Hakuryu. Really looked at Hakuryu. Those red eyes, the little horns on top of his head; they looked so familiar to him, as if he'd seen those eyes some where, some place before. When Hakuryu changed from Jeep form to his dragon form, it was if the last piece of Hakkai's life clicked into place. As if a long lost family member had finally come home. It was a strange feeling, one that he couldn't shake. If he could just…remember…who…

"Kyuuu?" The questioning cry pulled Hakkai from his thoughts. Shaking to cobwebs from his mind, Hakkai smiled at Hakuryu. Oh, well. It was probably just his imagination.


End file.
